Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To tie or bind up; knot.
- Pertaining to Gordius, the first king of Phrygia
- In heraldry, a name sometimes given to the Navarre knot, or the figure of interlinked chains which forms the bearing of the kings of Navarre.
- noun [lowercase] A complication; a Gordian knot.
- noun [⟨ Gordius + -an.] A hairworm; one of the Gordiidæ.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) One of the Gordiacea.
- adjective Pertaining to
Gordius , king of Phrygia, or to a knot tied by him; hence, intricate; complicated; inextricable. - adjective an intricate knot tied by Gordius in the thong which connected the pole of the chariot with the yoke. An oracle having declared that he who should untie it should be master of Asia, Alexander the Great averted the ill omen of his inability to loosen it by cutting it with his sword. Hence, a
Gordian knot is an inextricable difficulty; and tocut the Gordian knot is to remove a difficulty by bold and energetic measures. - adjective (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the Gordiacea.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Alternative form of
Gordian .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective extremely intricate; usually in phrase `Gordian knot'
Etymologies
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Examples
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It's also the most quick and efficient way to get to and through downtown Seattle for westside folks - so of course it's gonna have to go! gordian
Tunnel Construction Could Be Delayed One Year « PubliCola 2010
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It's certainly not optimal, but it usually does beat 1st or 3rd during downtown rush hours .. gordian
Council Should Unite Behind McGinn On The Tunnel Cost Overrun Provision « PubliCola 2010
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Dan, you really don't have a clue. if Pubicola is a news 'rag', then a little research would go a long way to informing the story. gordian
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So if you are the plaintiff from California and the Government introduces that as an argument, you ask the court how – exactly — do they rule in order to untie that gordian knot?
The Volokh Conspiracy » Radio Debate on the Constitutionality of the Health Care Bill 2010
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Then we can see in plain view if their ideas really work or not. gordian
Council Should Unite Behind McGinn On The Tunnel Cost Overrun Provision « PubliCola 2010
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We all benefit from your leadership, creativity and commitment. gordian
Report Card Gives Low Marks to City Council Members « PubliCola 2010
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Which produces something of a gordian knot of numbering schemes if Marvel ever decides to reset Iron Man's numbering.
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I would state it as there is a difference between public demand (signing petitions) and market demand (no other options due to cost). gordian
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The gordian knot of internal politics will determine the outcome, and given the relative importance of SC to the national scene, the nuance and subtlety associated with that process will be rightfully ignored.
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All these plan B options are gordian knots that will take years of resolve.
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